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Hopefully if you have been following our blog you will be fully aware of the changes that are taking place in the industry on the 6th April 2013 otherwise known as Saturday this week! Wow how time flies.

This has been a date in many electricians calendar for some time as on this date a number of changes will come into force that impact on 2 things:

1. How you notify work and the type of work that is notifiable

2. How you get qualified in order to register on a competent person scheme

So what do you need to know?

So for those already out there working in the industry actually it means that there is a little bit less paperwork to do. From the 6th April 2013 kitchens are no longer classed as special locations. As such minor works in a kitchen no longer need to be notified to building control or your Part P scheme. This is great news for kitchen fitters and the like, however the new Part P regs do stipulate that anyone installing electrics needs to be competent to do so and any installation should comply with the latest 17th edition regulations whether it is notifiable or not. If unsafe work is found then legal action can be taken.

Also from the 6th there will be a register of third party electricians who are able to sign off the work of others. Currently this role is only fulfilled by building control, however soon they will have competition from private electricians who will be able to inspect and test third party installations. It looks as if this register of third party electricians is a little way off just now. The industry is yet to confirm exactly who will be able to register on this. Anyone who has completed a 2391, 2395 or Qualified Supervisor course are most likely to get onto the register but at present this “third party register” is still to be finalised.

Currently you must have passed your 17th edition in order to register on a competent persons scheme. You must also be able to pass the assessments, which means you should be able to re-wire a house, be competent in inspection and testing as well as have a good grasp of the Part P building regs. However officially from the 6th April you will need to have also passed a qualified supervisors course before you can register. At present it appears that until these courses are more widely available in the UK some scheme providers will still register you under the current requirements. We don’t know how long this will continue so if you are looking to register the advice is speak with a scheme provider first so you know for sure you will get onto the scheme. We highlighted recently that ELECSA have already said they expect to register people under the current requirements for the foreseeable future. However that is a little vague, it does suggest at least for the next few months you should be ok, but don’t hang about if you do want to get registered.